diff --git a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_cairo.py b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_cairo.py
index 7d8166451a6c..e3ad7664368c 100644
--- a/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_cairo.py
+++ b/lib/matplotlib/backends/backend_cairo.py
@@ -90,6 +90,8 @@ def _append_paths_slow(ctx, paths, transforms, clip=None):
     for path, transform in zip(paths, transforms):
         for points, code in path.iter_segments(
                 transform, remove_nans=True, clip=clip):
+            # int is a lot faster than uint8 when comparing
+            code = int(code)
             if code == Path.MOVETO:
                 ctx.move_to(*points)
             elif code == Path.CLOSEPOLY: